Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1887-10-07
FISHING FOR FRUIT.
How Boston "Wharf Rats" Pick u
Floating refuse.

How Boston "wharf Rats" Pick Up
Floating Refuse.
"Dere's one, Jimmyl See it? / boneys dat
one," said q ragged urchin yesterday to
another, who was armed with long piece Of
string, to ono end of which was tied stone.
"Naw, faint yourn. You boneys dem all,
an I'm DOM tho ketchin'. OATS my banan,
an don't yer tink it mint" was the positive
reply Of Jimmy, who was equally as ragged
and dirty as his companion.
II seen it first" said Patsy.
"Yer lie; seen it." said Jimmy.
am lump yer in de ear"
"Yer'll lump nuthin'.n
"Yer no good"
am good enough ter do you, young fell
ler."
Bif
Bang.
And the bonds of friendship uniting tho
two "wharf rats" was severed by tho blows,
and Jimmy and Patsy started to have it out.
But tho battle was brief one, for an old,
grizzly boatman seized and pulled them apart
and ssnt them of. The boys were OH float
at the foot Of Long wharf, and had been en-
gagged in tho exciting work of fishing for
green bananas. "Fishing for whatp Why,
green bananas. Funny. isn't its But you
don't know there is quite little business done
in picking up and disposing Of cast away
fruit and vegetables around the wharves.
Well there is. Even men paddle around in
boats from wharf to wharf gathering up such
stuff and everything Of value, in fact. found
floating in the water. More or less falls over
board from unloading steamers and vessels,
especially when tho cargo consists of fruit
or vegetables. Then tho rofuso Of the hold,
consisting of detached, broken or jammed
fruit, Is thrown overheard, and, after floating
about awhile, joins fortunes with a mass Of
seaweed, old sticks, dead cats and a thousand
and ono things, and is sent up by the incom-
ing tide around the wharf stops, floats amt
piing, where the ragged street gamins, who
hang about tho wharves u large part Sc the
time, SO fishing for the fruit.
Their method of fishing is simple and
unique. A pieco of stone or iron is tied to
the end of string, while the fruit fisher holds
tightly on to the other. He espies banana,
orange, apple or half decayed pineapple or
something similar bobbing up with a lot Of
seaweed away beyond his reach beneath a
wharf. He throws the weighted end of tbs
string beyond tho floating mass, and, Of
course, the weight Sinks carrying the string.
Then. the fruit fisher slowly hauls OH the
string. The seaweed clings about the line
and drags the fruit along until at last it is
within reach. Sometimes a prize is captured
this way, but often the fruit has been in the
water so long that it is spoiled. The boys
who had tho little difficulty over the big
green "banan" each had a big paper bag
full of them.
"What do they do with green bananssi'
inquired the reporter of a longshoreman.
"They takes 'cm home to ripen," replied IN.
"Perhaps his folks will eat them, or they may
be sold on some corner fruit stand to chill
dren for apenny. Sometimes they will pick
up enough floating potatoes, onions, cucum-
bers, carrots, turnips, pieces Of cabbage an
other things to feed big family. If the out
side Is bad, tho inside may bo good. The
fishers are kept pretty busy during water
melon time boston Herald.